by K. J. Dahlen
“But what if she’s right?” Trudy asked. “What if I put everyone’s life on the line for my own ego?”
“Did you?”
She shook her head. “No I didn’t.”
“Do you have any idea what could go wrong if you messed up?”
“Yes of course, I know what could go wrong.”
“Then don’t worry about it.” He shrugged. “I’ve seen your skills and I have faith in you and so does everyone here.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Don’t even go there,” he admonished her. “You have managed to do something no one else has ever done before. And you’ve done it twice. Not even the best the military has could have done that. They’ve been trying for years. You kicked the Taliban to the ground and they are laying in a puddle of their own spit right now.”
“But it cost me the one thing I had left—my sister,” Trudy said sadly. “She’ll never forgive me.”
Dewey shrugged. “You may have lost your sister for a while but she’ll forgive you. You also gained something here tonight. You gained the respect of a bunch of hard ass military men. Each and every one of them have come to care for you. I know I have.”
Trudy shrugged. “But I don’t have any family left. People that I can call my own.”
“Honey, those men out there will be your family,” he assured her. “We may not be blood but we’re more than blood. We’re brothers and we’re soldiers. When you face the enemy, it’s a good thing to know the man next to you is there and watching your back just the same as you’re watching his back. We’ve shared everything together. We’ve worked together, sweat together and had to rely on each other for everything. We may come from different military branches but we’re all soldiers.”
“But I can’t and won’t ask anyone to take a bullet for me,” Trudy shook her head.
“The point is honey, you wouldn’t have to ask. That’s what being part of this family is all about. You never have to ask.”
Before Trudy could respond, they herd footsteps rushing down the hall toward the bedroom. Someone pounded on the door and called out to Dewey, “Hey Captain, we got problems.”
Dewey got to his feet and went to the door. When he opened it, he saw Colt and Parker standing there. “What’s wrong?”
Parker nodded toward Trudy. “The brother just ripped his arm open. There’s blood all over the place. He’s mumbling something about being sorry. He claims the cartel put a tracker beacon in his arm, so they would know where he was all the time. He said he’s in so much pain, he just wants to die.”
Dewey turned and stared at Trudy for a moment then turned back to his men. “I’m not letting her near him. He brought this on himself let him suffer for it. Patch him up the best you can and let it go.”
“What about the sister?” Colt asked.
Dewey shrugged. “If she wants to sit with him let her. I think it’s best the two of them are apart anyway. At least for right now. Enough damage has been done.” He closed the door and went back to Trudy. Squatting down, he tipped her face up so he could see her expression. “Are you okay?”
Trudy bit her lip. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t want to see Ronnie though. He’s made his bed and he can lay in it. He stopped being my brother a long time ago.”
“I agree with you there. What’s our next step?”
Trudy hesitated then looked away.
Dewey cupped her chin and brought her face back to him. “What is our next step? Do you have any ideas?”
Trudy nodded slowly. “Actually, I do.”
Dewey smiled. “I thought you might.” He reached down and pulled her to her feet. “Come on then. Let’s get this done.”
Trudy slipped her arm around his waist and hugged him briefly.
He walked her to the door but before he opened it, he swept her in his arms. His lips crushed hers and he swept his tongue into her mouth.
Trudy moaned as he gave her a hint of the passion he demanded from her. Need grew to want and before the want could grow any further, he released her. He leaned his forehead against hers. Breathing harshly he whispered, “That’s a promise of things to come.”
“Okay.” She breathed heavily. “I can’t wait.”
Dewey chuckled and swatted her ass. “If I have to wait, so do you.”
Trudy squealed and scooted down the hall. Back in the main room, she refused to meet anyone’s eyes. Instead, she went back to her secure computer and logged in. A moment or so later, someone set a cup of hot coffee down beside her. She looked up and found Boomer standing there
He sat down beside her and stared at her for a moment. “You know something, baby girl?”
“What’s that Boomer?”
“Your sister didn’t mean what she said. And nobody here will blame you for anything. Girl,. don’t you know you’re one of us? And we look out for our own.”
“I’m beginning to understand just what that means.”
“What are you planning on doing to the cartel?”
“I’m going to find all their secrets and tell the world.” Taking a sip of her coffee, she looked anywhere but at him. “All they lost the first time was money, this time they’ll lose more than that. This time, they lose it all. The drugs, the money, the guns, whatever I can find they will lose.”
Boomer shrugged. “If you take them out, someone else will just take their place.”
“I know. But I hope whoever takes over leaves me and Amanda the hell alone.”
Boomer stared at her for a moment then shook his head. “You’re taking one hell of a chance. Maybe you should rethink this.”
“I can’t just ignore this. My shit for brains brother owes these guys and until they are left with nothing to call their own, they will just keep coming and coming. They won’t stop until someone stops them. If you got another plan, I’m all ears.”
“What about your brother?” he asked softly.
Trudy shrugged and looked away, carefully placing her empty cup on the table between them. “I should let him go. This is all his fault anyway. He was going to hand me over to them and he wouldn’t have been sorry at all, not one little bit. Family doesn’t mean anything to him or my father. Dad is too busy building his career to worry about his daughters. The only one of us that ever meant anything to him was Ronnie.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “When my mom died, my dad forgot he was part of something bigger than just himself. It was my mom that kept us a family and when she died, he forgot about his kids. He was a selfish bastard that way. Ronnie was his favorite because he was a son. Me and Amanda didn’t mean anything to him.”
Boomer shook his head and let out a sad sigh.
Taking a deep breath, she admitted another heartache, “When he kicked me out at fourteen, it was like I was dead to him. Amanda told me he took my pictures down off the wall and forbid her to speak of me at all. It was like I no longer existed for him. He didn’t care that I wasn’t old enough to fend for myself. He threw me out in the street with very little. He let me take some clothes and a little food but nothing else he paid for. He didn’t even know I had a computer at all. I saved all my babysitting money for it because I knew he would never buy me one. He wouldn’t even let Amanda try and find me for three months. I had no one left except my sister that cared whether I lived or died.”
“You got someone now.” Dewey vowed as he joined them. “I care and all the men that live here care. Boomer and his guys care too.”
Trudy nodded. “I know and while I appreciate you guys, I’ve learned to be alone. I hate it but I am alone for a reason. That way, I never have to feel like my whole world is shattered beyond control ever again.”
Neither of them noted the fact Boomer got up and moved away from them.
Dewey reached for her and pulled her into his arms. Hugging her close, he just held her and let her cry. “Oh baby, you aren’t alone anymore. I hope you know that,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll never leave you alone again. You belong to me now. I would die for
you and I would kill for you. You’re mine and mine alone.”
Trudy looked up into his blue eyes. “Are you sure?” she asked softly.
Dewey smiled. “Yeah babe, I’m sure. In fact, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I think I could be falling in love with you. Would that be something you might be interested in? Me loving you?”
Trudy smiled. “Yeah, I think that could be interesting.” She touched her lips to his. Groaning, she pressed harder and felt a familiar zing zip through her body. Before it could get any deeper, she broke away.
Dewey allowed her to break off the kiss. They weren’t alone at the moment and he didn’t want to start something they couldn’t finish. His body didn’t appreciate him though. His cock went from soft to rock hard in two point two seconds and now he had to calm the beast down.
Trudy sighed. “And how is my brother doing now? Suffering, I hope?”
Dewey chuckled in her ear. “You are truly a wicked child aren’t you?”
Trudy shrugged her shoulders. “I think God will forgive me any ill feelings toward him. He’s the one who brought this hell down on top of us.”
“Have some compassion woman. He’s a sick man,” Dewey scolded her.
“I would have compassion for him if he hadn’t brought this on himself.” She nodded. “But he did and he turned his back on me and Amanda a very long time ago. Don’t ask me to feel sorry for him because I won’t do that.” She turned and walked back down the hall to the main room.
Dewey glanced into the room again and shook his head. He’d seen men in Ronnie’s condition before and it always saddened him. Drugs did more than get a person high. This was one example of how drugs could ruin a man. They could take a strong individual and turn him into a whimpering fool. Ronnie would have a long hard road to recovery ahead of him, if the drugs didn’t end up killing him first.
Hours later, Trudy got up and stretched. Her shoulder back and knees were killing her. Sitting that long always hurt. But she’d gotten the information she wanted and now with a little help, she could finally do it. She intended to ruin the cartel.
“What did you find?” Dewey asked. He’d been sitting there watching her for a long time and he knew the moment she was onto something.
She smiled. “I found a way to take it all. They are into drugs, guns money laundering and human trafficking. These are not nice people. Did you know their compound is actually on American soil?”
Dewey sat up with a disturbed look on his face. “Really? They’re based here and not Mexico?”
“Just this side of the border actually.” She grimaced. “I also found two MC’s that are linked to their gun running and drugs.”
“Hang on a second, I want Stone to hear this too. We have some plans to make.” Dewey left the room.
When he returned a few minutes later, Stone was with him.
Stone was dressed in jeans only and his hair was messy and he had a sleepy look in his eyes but he wanted to hear what she had to say.
She sat them both down and relayed what information she had for the cartel. She also told them what she wanted to do. They had their own ideas and together, they came up with a plan. One that worked for all of them.
A few hours later, Dewey opened his eyes and frowned. Something woke him and he couldn’t figure out what that something was. Then he heard it again. Reaching for Trudy, he found her side of the bed empty. The sound came again, and he knew what it was. It was the sound of a heart breaking.
He turned toward the sound and peeking through the shadows, he found her sitting in the corner wrapped in a blanket. Slipping out of bed, he crawled over to her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulder, he drew her close to his body. “Shhh…what’s wrong?” he whispered in her ear. “Why are you crying?”
“I had a nightmare.”
“With everything that’s been happening that doesn’t surprise me.” He felt her turn and nuzzle her face into the side of his neck. Her tears dripped off her chin and soaked his chest. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I promise.”
Wordlessly, Turdy nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Do you want to talk about the nightmare?” Dewey asked.
“It’s one I haven’t had in a while so when I dreamt it I remembered a time in my life when I was scared to death. It was the night my father kicked me out.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I had snuck out that night to try and save my brother. He owed a drug dealer a lot of money. I knew if my father ever found out there would be hell to pay. So, after everyone went to bed, I went to find the dealer. I had found him already and knew his schedule, so I knew he wouldn’t be home. I got inside his place and destroyed his stash of drugs then I checked his computer and found some strange stuff on it. I copied everything there then deleted it. I didn’t know when the dealer would be back, so I just messed it all up. He wouldn’t have been able to make heads or tails out of what I left. Before I went home though, I hid the money I found. I moved the account he had it into accounts I’d set up. There was a lot of money to move. I didn’t know it at the time but the dealer was the cartels money man. He collected then laundered the drug money before turning it over to the cartel.”
Dewey sat still and listened as she talked.
“When I got home, my father was waiting for me. When he asked where I’d been, I didn’t lie to him. You have to understand something, my father has a tempter and he knows a lie. By this time, his screaming had wakened Amanda and Ronnie. Amanda was sitting half way down the steps crying, but Ronnie, he was standing at the foot of the stairs smirking at the yelling I was getting. He was leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest and a damn smile on his face. My father was screaming and yelling at me getting madder and madder. He was telling me how disappointed he was but that he wouldn’t have to put up with me very much longer. I could see the rage in his eyes and I got afraid of him.”
“Did he hit you?” Dewey asked shortly. His own rage against a man he hadn’t met was growing.
Trudy nodded. “Yeah, he hit me three times before he was done. Then he grabbed the back of my collar and hauled me to the door. Our house was seven steps off the ground so when the door was open, he grabbed me by the collar with one hand and the back of my jeans with the other. He threw me out. I hit the ground hard and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I saw him turn his back to me and slam the door shut.” She paused then added, “I was stunned. I knew he would be mad but I never expected what really happened.”
“How old were you when this went down?” Dewey wanted to know.
“I was fourteen.”
Dewey frowned. “What did you do then?”
“We had a tree house in the backyard, so I spent the rest of the night in the tree house. I watched my father go to work the next morning and Amanda let me in. When I came in, I found the bag she packed for me. My father let her pack a few of my clothes. Everything I owned at that moment fit into a small backpack. She packed some food for me and my heart was breaking.”
“What about your brother?”
“Ronnie just stood there watching it happen. He had orders from my father. He loved it when Amanda or I got in trouble and he liked to make it that much worse.”
“What about your mother? Didn’t she stand up for you at all?”
“Mom died in a car accident when Amanda and I were ten. She was on her way to pick me up from gymnastics when a drunk driver hit her car. She died and he got away. He was never caught and I think my father blamed me for her death. After all, I was the reason she was out on the street.”
“That’s nuts. How could the accident be your fault?” Dewey argued.
Trudy shrugged her shoulders. The blanket she was wearing slid off her shoulders and it showed Dewey she’d been naked when she got out of his bed. He dragged her closer and tipping her face to his he kissed her. When he swept his tongue into her mouth, she groaned. Dewey broke the kiss long enough to whisper, “Enough bad memories, let’s
make some new better ones.”
Trudy nodded slowly.
Then Dewey got to his feet and carried her over to the bed. He laid her carefully and covered her body with his own. The blanket she’d been wearing fell away and he caught his breath at the sight of her curvaceous body. Her breasts were full and just the right size to fit in his hands. He leaned over and kissed her starting with her lips. Sliding down her neck, he found her sweet spots. When he kissed her neck under her ear, Trudy moaned. Her body was quick to heat and as his lips dipped to her breasts, her core threatened to burst into flames.
When Dewey licked and sucked on her nipples Trudy moaned. “I need you inside me, please.”
He pressed his hard cock into her leg whispering, “Soon I promise.”
Trudy whimpered as his hand slipped lower. When he touched her core, he found her wet. Her juices coated his fingers as he stroked them inside her. She lifted her hips to allow him better access.
Dewey groaned when he felt how wet and ready she was. His cock jumped and his heart beat hard in his chest. Before he could stop himself, he moved into position and slammed inside her. His lips covered her mouth and absorbed her moans. He began to thrust into her hard and fast and they quickly fell into a rhythm. It was faster than they had been before but it seemed to satisfy them both.
Her body where they were connected became warmer and wetter and he could feel her core tighten. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his thrusts, so his strokes went deeper than ever before.
“I’m so close. Make me come,” she begged.
Dewey felt a zing of lightening zip down his spine and his ball were high and tight. When he felt her walls slam down on his cock his cock throbbed then explode inside her. Trudy cried out her own completion. Dewey sank into her deep and held himself as still as he could.
Sweat dripped off his face and splashed on to her shoulder to mix with her own .Dewey slipped down to his elbows then after a moment he slipped off her but he didn’t go far. He slid to her side and pulled her close to him. He nibbled and kissed her shoulder then whispered in her ear, “Get some rest, sweet girl.”